Attar (caste)
Encyclopedia
The Attar are a Muslim
community found in the state of Maharashtra
in India
. This community has no connection with the Attarwala
of Gujarat, except for the fact that both communities were at one time involved in the manufacture of itars
.
, which means a perfume in the Arabic language, They were historically a community of perfumers. According to their traditions, they were originally Hindu
, who conveted to Islam
sometime between 1294 to 1674. The exact circumstances of their conversion to Islam
remain unclear. They are now found mainly in western Maharashtra
, particularly in the districts of Nasik, Pune
, Ahmadnagar
, Sholapur, Kolhapur, Dhulia and the city of Mumbai
. Like most Maharashtra
Muslim
s, they are bilingual, speaking both Marathi
and the Dakhani dialect of Urdu
.
communities, whom they have supplied these goods for centuries, such as incense sticks, dried coconuts, scents and oils.
The Attar have set up their own caste
association, the Attar Council, which acts as a community welfare organization as well as a pressure group. They are Sunni Muslim
s, and now fairly orthodox. The community is endogamous, although there are few cases of intermarriage with the Momin
, Pinjara
and Tamboli. There is no concept of clan exogamy, and the community practices both parallel cousin and cross cousin marriages.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community found in the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. This community has no connection with the Attarwala
Attarwala
- History and origin :The Attarwala claim to be descended from a group of Hazara soldiers who were initially settled in Agra, during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. According to their recorded documents, they then migrated to Ahmedabad via Gwalior, Ratlam and Godhra. This migration...
of Gujarat, except for the fact that both communities were at one time involved in the manufacture of itars
Attar
Abū Hamīd bin Abū Bakr Ibrāhīm , better known by his pen-names Farīd ud-Dīn and ‘Attār , was a Persian Muslim poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nīshāpūr who had an abiding influence on Persian poetry and Sufism.-Biography:Information about Attar's life is rare...
.
Origin
The community gets its name from the word itarAttar
Abū Hamīd bin Abū Bakr Ibrāhīm , better known by his pen-names Farīd ud-Dīn and ‘Attār , was a Persian Muslim poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nīshāpūr who had an abiding influence on Persian poetry and Sufism.-Biography:Information about Attar's life is rare...
, which means a perfume in the Arabic language, They were historically a community of perfumers. According to their traditions, they were originally Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, who conveted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
sometime between 1294 to 1674. The exact circumstances of their conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
remain unclear. They are now found mainly in western Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, particularly in the districts of Nasik, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar is located in Gujranwala DistricTt, Punjab, Pakistan.-References:...
, Sholapur, Kolhapur, Dhulia and the city of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Like most Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, they are bilingual, speaking both Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
and the Dakhani dialect of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
.
Present circumstances
The Attar are a landless community, and their livelihood now depends on sellng different products needed by Hindus. They have developed a patron client relationship with neighbouring HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
communities, whom they have supplied these goods for centuries, such as incense sticks, dried coconuts, scents and oils.
The Attar have set up their own caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
association, the Attar Council, which acts as a community welfare organization as well as a pressure group. They are Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, and now fairly orthodox. The community is endogamous, although there are few cases of intermarriage with the Momin
Momin Ansari
The Momin Ansari or Ansari, are a Muslim community, found mainly in West and North India, and the province of Sindh in Pakistan. A small number of Ansaris are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. The community were once known as al ansar, although the term is now obsolete. In North India, the...
, Pinjara
Pinjara
The Pinjara are a Muslim community found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in India. They are also known as Shaikh Mansoori, especially in Gujarat, where the name Pinjara is no longer used...
and Tamboli. There is no concept of clan exogamy, and the community practices both parallel cousin and cross cousin marriages.